Yarn carrier control mechanism for flat knitting machines



June 16, 1931. GEE 1,809,969

' YARN CARRIER CONTROL MECHANISM FOR FLAT KNITTING NAcHINEs Filed May 20, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 r KT; H My .21 M m BY 2 z TORNEYS.

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June 16, 1931. A. GEE

YARN CARRIER CONTROL MECHANISM FOR FLAT KNITTING MACHINES Filed May 20, 1 29 4 -Sheets-Sheet 2 WITNESSES I N VEN TOR:

4 Shets-Sheet 3 A. GEE

Filed May 20, 1929 YARN CARRIER CONTROL MECHANISM FOR FLAT KNITTING MACHINES June 16 1931.

. INVENTOR- fllberf (free,

TORNEYS.

FIG. %/4iT/r/ M A A WITNESSE Patented June 16, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE:

ALBERT GEE, OF ELKINS PARK, PENNSYLVANIA YARN CARRIER comm-Ron MEGHANISM r012. FLAT KNITTINeMAoHINEs Application filed May 20,

ard knitting machines of the kind referred to without requiring any structural changes in them or interfering with their normal mode of operation.

1 Still other objects and attendant advantages of this invention will appear from the detailed description following when taken in connection with the attached drawings, whereof Fig. I shows a partial transverse sectional view of a standard full fashioned hosiery knitting machine equipped with my improved yarn carrier control mechanism.

Fig. II is a fragmentary rear elevation of ihe machine, or as viewed from the left of Fig. III is a diagrammatic view'showing the operation of the carrier control mecha- IB1ism,'and a typical figured design formed y it.

Fig- IV is a detailsection, taken as indicatedby the arrows IVIV in Fig. II.

Fig. V is a detail section, taken as indicated by the arrows V-Viin Fig. I

Figs. VI and VII are illustrations, similar to Figs. I and III, showing a modification of my invention; and,

Figs. VIII and IX are a fragmentary sectional view-and a diagrammatic'view, which correspond respectively to Figs. VI. and VII, and show still anothermodification. 1

With moredetailed reference first to Figs. I-V of these illustrations,.the numerals 10, 11 designate a pair of carriers by which a main yarn and a plating yarn are simultaneously fed to the needles 12, said carriers being secured respectively to slide rods 13, 14,

1929. Serial No. 364,366.

grouped with others, for independent endwise reciprocation, in upward reaching guide brackets 15 of the machine frame. The slide rods 13, 14 are reciprocated in the usual and well known manner by virtue of-connection to suitable friction boxes, which are not 1 shown in Figs. I and II: J i

- The mechanism of my invention by which the action of the plating yarn carrier 11 is controlled to form ornate pattern figures, such as shown at 16 in F i,,. III, upon the fabric F produced with the body yarn, comprises a pair of spaced stop bars 17, 18 which I are shiftable endwise as hereinafter fully explained, transversely above the carrier rods 13, 14. At their inner sides, the stop bars 17, 18 are fitted with serially arranged interchangeable studs 19, 20 respectively, these being of different lengths and constituting op'- posing profile edges in the path of a lug'21 on the plating yarn carrier rod 14. As shown, the lug 21 is provided'at its ends with adjustable screws 22, 23=to contactwith the studs 19, 20. With the described arrangement it will be seen that reciprocation of the yarn carrier 11 is variously restricted or limited as the stop bars 17 '18 are intermittently shifted endwise' to bring corresponding pairs of different studs 19, 20 into the path of the lug 21 on the carrier rod 14. The stop 7 bars 17, 18 are slidably supported, under fric- Qtional restraint, in guides 24, 25 afforded by wing plates 26, 27. with pivot ears 28, 29 for loosely engaging shafts 30, 31 which are respectively journalled in spaced vertical brackets 32, 33 upstanding from the rear bottom rail 34 of the machine frame. The wing plates 26, 27 are held in the inclined position shown in Fig. I through engagement of hooks 35, 36 on them, over a shaft 37 of the machine such that the stop bars 17, 18 are. sustained at an angle to move transversely over the yarn carrier rods 13, 14 as already understood. To the inner ends of the shafts 30, 31 are secured spur gear pinions 38, 39 that mesh'with rack teeth 40, 41 onthe stop bars 17, 18; while to the outer ends of said shafts are secured ratchetwheels 42, 43 arranged to be picked alternately by pawls 44,

45. These pawls 44, 45 are pivoted on arms 52 carries a roller 54 in the path of a rotary cam 55 on the main cam shaft 56 of the machine, and is subject to the pull of a spring 57.

Alternate picking of the ratchet wheels 42, 43 is governed by means including guard fingers 58, 59 which are pivoted on the brackets 32, 33 and arranged to coact with lateral studs 60, 61 on the pawls 44, 45. Integrally formed arms 62, 63 of the fingers 58, 59 are al ernately engaged by edge cams 64, 65 on a slide rod 66 of the machine which carries the slur cocks 67 by which the sinker jacks 68 are actuated, see Figs. I, II and IV. The cooperation of these parts is such that when the rod 66 is shifted to the left in Fig. IV the edge cam 64 moves the guard 58 to effect displacement of the pawl 44 from the ratchet wheel 42, and when shifted to the right, the edge cam 65 functions in a like manner to, move the guard 59, thereby to effect displacement of the pawl 45 from the ratchet wheel. 43. Asa consequence, the stop bars 17 and 18 are shifted step by step in alternation so that corresponding pairs of the studs 19, 20 are successively presented in'the line of travel of the'lug 21 on the plating yarn carrier slide rod 14, as and for the purpose previously described. Toenablemanual operation of them when required, the arms 62, 63 of the pawl guard fingers 58,

59 are provided with handles 62a, 63a, see

Figs. I and II. v

The control of the pawling mechanism is relegated to the measuring chain 70 of the machine which to that end is provided at intervals, as shown in Figs. I, II and V, with lugs 71. These lugs 71 under-travel a finger 72 which is pivoted on a bracket 73 supported by the bottom frontal rail 7 5 of the machine frame. The finger 72 is held in yielding contact with the chain 70 under the action of a spring 76 (Fig. V) influential-upon an integrally formed upstanding arm 77. At'its top this arm 77 has a shoulder 78 which is adapted to engage beneath the free end of the lever 52, thereby to hold the latter elevated against the action of the spring 57, with the roller 54 above the reach of the cam '55, as shown in dotted lines in Figs. I and V.

Thus as each of the lugs 71 engages the finger 72, the upward arm 77 of the latter is swung to the full line position of Fig. V, whereby the lever 52 is released for action of the cam 55 on the roller 54. Upon. the completion of each pattern operation, the stop bars 17, 18 are pushed down by hand to. starting position, which is determined by engagement of lateral projections 78, 79 at their upper ends with the top edges of the wing plates 26,27,

the pawl 44, 45 being at this time pushed away from the ratchets 42, 43 by manipulation of the handles 62a, 63a on the guards 58, 59.

In the arrangement of Fig. VI, the friction box 80 that drives the slide rod 14 for the platin yarn carrier 11 is provided with a pivoted finger 81 which may be swung from the normal inactive dotted line position, to the full line position, into engagement with the slide rod 82 of another carrier 83. This carrier 83 is accordingly obliged to follow the movement of the carrier 11 whereof, as in Figs. I and II, the reciprocation is variously limited by the stop bars 17, 18. By coupling the slide rod 82 to the friction box 80 as just described, it will be seen that with the carriers 11 and 83 spaced as in Fig. VII, two duplicate pattern figures 16m, 1611 will be traced on the fabric F, The modified construction may obviously be enlarged upon by providing the friction box 80 with addition al fingers (like the one at 81) to enable coupling of as many more, of the. available carrier slide rods as desired and predetermining the tracing of a corresponding number of like figures on the knitted fabric.

In the modified form of my invention shown in Fig. VIII, the stop bars, whereof only one is shown at 175, are each fitted with a double row of interchangeable studs 19?) and 85: so that two sets of opposing profile L.

edges are afforded, the set 19?) to coact with the lug 21 on the slide rod 14 of the plating yarn carrier 11 as before, and the set 85 to coast witha. lug 87 on the rod 88 of a neighboring yarn carrier 89. By differently Having thus described my invention, I

claim: I

1. Yarn'carrier control'mechanism for flat knitting machines comprising a slidable stop bar under friction restraint and having a profile edge of serially-arranged studs to intercept the yarn carriers; and means to intermittently shiftthe stop bar transversely of the carriers for presentation of different portions of its profile edge in the path of said carriers, of the latter as: the knitting proceeds.

2. Yarn carrier control mechanism for flat knitting machines comprising a slide bar under frictional restraint in a pivotally mounted guide and having a profile edge constituted IX' upon the fabric thereby to variously limit the throw by a series of interchangeable studs of different lengths; and means for intermittently shifting the slide bar transversely of the carriers for presentation of different studs in the path of the yarn carriers, thereby to variously limit the throw of the latter as the knitting proceeds.

8. Yarn carrier control mechanism for flat knitting machines comprising a pair of spaced stop bars supported under frictional restraint in pivotally mounted guides and having opposing profile edges of serially-arranged studs on their inner sides to cooperate with lugs on the yarn carriers; and means to intermittently shift thestop bars transversely of said carriers for presentation of different portions of their profile edges in the path of the lugs onsaid carriers, thereby to variously limit the throw of the latter as the knitting proceeds.

4t. Yarn carrier control mechanism for flat knitting machines comprising a pair of spaced stop bars supported under frictional restraint in pivotally mounted guides and having opposing profile edges of serially-arranged interchangeable studs along their 1nner sides to cooperate with lugs on the carriers; and means to intermittently'shift the stop bars in alternation transversely of the carriers for presentation of different portions of said studs in the path of the lugs on said yarn carriers, thereby tovariously limit the throw of the latter as the knitting proceeds.

5. Yarn carrier control mechanism for flat knitting machines comprising a pair of spaced slide bars supported under frictional restraint in pivotally mounted guides, and, respectively, having serially-arranged interchangeable studs along their inner edges affording coordinated pairs of opposing profile edges; and means to intermittently shift the stop bars transversely of said carriers for presentation of successive opposing studs in the path of individual lugs on the yarn carriers, thereby to variously and independently limit the throw of said ca'rriers'as the knitting proceeds.

6. The combination in a flat-knitting machine with a body yarn carrier and a plating yarn carrier, of control mechanism for the plating yarn carrier to predetermine for mation of pattern figures on thevfabric pro duced with the body yarn, said mechanism including a slide bar supported under frictional restraint in a pivotally mounted guide and having serially-arranged interchangeable studs along the inner edge; and means to intermittently shift the slide bar transverse ly of the carriers for presentation of different portions of its studded edge in the path of a lug on the plating yarn carrier, thereby to variously limit the throw of the latter for the purpose indicated.

7. The combination in a flat knitting machine with a body yarn carrier and plating yarn carriers of control mechanism for the plating yarn carriers to predetermine formation of pattern figures on the fabric produced with the body yarn, said mechanism including a pair of spaced slide bars supported under frictional restraint in pivotally mounted guides and having serially-an ranged interchangeable studs along their in-. ner edges; and means to intermittently shiftthe slide bars transversely of the carriers for presentation of different portions of their. studded edges in the path of lugs on said plating yarn carriers, thereby to variously. limit the throW'of thelatter for the purpose indicated.

8. In yarn carrler control mechanism for fiat knitting machines, apair of slide bars supported under frictional restraint in pivotally'mounted guides and having seriallyarranged interchangeable studs along their" opposing inner edges; and means-for intermittently shifting the slide bars in alternation transversely of the yarn carriers for presentation of difierent portions oftheir profile edges in the path of-lugs on the'carriers, thereby to limit the throw of the latter as the knitting proceeds, said means compris ing pawls respectively associated with said bars, means for reciprocating the pawls, guards to control the activity of the pawls, and cams on a reciprocating member of the knitting machine to intermittently actuate the pawl guards.

9. In yarn carrier control mechanism for' fiat knitting machines, a slide bar supported under frictional restraint in a pivotally mounted guide and having serially-arranged interchangeable studs along its inner edge;

means for intermittently shifting the. slide bar with presentation of different portions of its studded edge in the path of the carriers, thereby to variously limit the throw of the latter as the knitting proceeds, said means including a ratchet wheel and pawl to rack the bar, a lever rocked by a rotary cam on the main cam shaft of the machine to actuate the pawl, and means controlled by the measuring chain of the machine for holding the lever temporarily retracted" from the path of the cam aforesaid to render the control mechanism periodically inoperative.

10. The combination in a flat knitting machine with a number of yarn carriers, including a body yarn carrier and a plating yarn carrier; of control mechanism for the plating yarn carrier to govern variant reciprocae tion of the latter and thereby determine formation of pattern figures on the fabric pro duced withthe body yarn; said mechanism mg and having parallel rows of serially-arranged interchangeable studs along one edge thereof; and means whereby other carriers can be coupled to said control mechanism for co-action with the respective rows of studs to produce duplicate plated pattern figures on 5 the fabric with the yarns fed by them.

11. The combination in a flat knitting machine with a number of yarn carriers including a body yarn carrier and a plating yarn carrier, and actuating means to individually reciprocate the body and plating yarn carriers, of control mechanism for the plating yarn carrier to govern variant reciprocation of the latter and thereby to determine formation of pattern figures on the fabric produced with the body yarn, said mechanism including a slide bar supported under frictional restraint in a pivotally mounted bearing and having double rows of serially-arranged interchangeable studs along one edge thereof,

and means on a friction box for the plating yarn carrier whereby other carriers can be coupled with said plating yarn carrier for governance by the double rows of studs on the slide bar of the control mechanism aforesaid to produce duplicate figures on the fabric with the yarns fed by them.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name at Philadelphia Pennsyl- Vania, this 17th day of May, 1929.

ALBERT GEE.

i so 

